The Monona Council, at its June 19 meeting, approved of the appointment of Heather Lange to fill the position on the council vacated last month by Randee Koenig.

City administrator Dan Canton said the appointment would last until the election this November. Lange could then serve the remainder of Koenig’s term, through 2019, if she chooses to run and is elected.

The MFL MarMac School Board approved contracts for several new staff members at its June 12 meeting.

Samantha Corsbie will teach special education at the middle school next year, while Katie Kregel and Dacia Jacobsen will teach second grade. Second grade teacher Angie Pape will transfer to kindergarten.

In addition, contracts were approved for Brandi Crozier as a special education paraprofessional, Megan Schellhorn as assistant volleyball coach and Larry Walter as a bus driver.

Monona Hay Days, held Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, will feature even more activities this year. (NIT file photo)

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

This weekend’s Monona Hay Days celebration promises to offer more fun for the family than ever before.

Several new features, booths and food vendors have been added this year, to go along with the regular slate of activities, noted Rogeta Halvorson, executive director of Monona Chamber and Economic Development and a Hay Days committee member.

“All over, it’s expanded. There will be something for everybody,” she said. “Every year, it gets better.”

Northeast Iowa Telephone Company (NEIT) is continuing to expand fiber optic within its service area, this summer providing the capabilities to all of its customers in the Farmersburg and St. Olaf rural exchanges, said Steve Hanson, director of business development at NEIT.

“We’ve been pretty busy lately,” said Hanson, who was the guest at Murphy Helwig Library’s monthly coffee house June 6. “We built out fiber in Postville last year, so we’ve just about completed the local territory.”

The communities of Monona (where NEIT is based), Luana, Farmersburg and St. Olaf have all had fiber to the home for several years, Hanson noted.

While Pikes Peak State Park’s stunning panoramas of the Mississippi River often make a visit to the park memorable, it’s the little things that also leave an impact: sitting around a crackling campfire, sharing lunch with your family at a picnic table, watching kids explore the playground.

This year, all of those experiences will be enhanced thanks to over 60 MFL MarMac sophomores and juniors, who performed spruce-up projects at Pikes Peak on May 23.

The students split up into eight crews, accomplishing a multitude of tasks, said teacher Dan Anderson, who led the group with the help of Brandi Crozier.

With the inception, in the past decade, of Airbnb and similar vacation rental booking websites, people have found an online marketplace to rent out their homes, apartments and other spaces, when they’re not in use, on a short-term basis. The practice has boomed, with Airbnb alone boasting over 3 million listings worldwide and over 160 million total guests.

At its regular meeting June 5, the Monona Council said it will consider an ordinance change to allow off-road utility vehicle usage in the community, following a request by a resident to use city streets to reach a nearby county secondary road, where off-road utility vehicle usage is now permitted.

The city, explained city administrator Dan Canton, could not simply give permission to certain residents; an ordinance adjustment would be required.

Any change, Canton said, would allow people to take a direct route to a county secondary road. They would not be able to drive all over town, he noted.

A video created by the 5C Coalition that depicts the dangers of underage drinking and driving went viral last week, reaching over 800,000 online viewers from around the country. The final scene was filmed on May 16, at Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home in Guttenberg. During filming, the “casket was closed” on Clayton Ridge student Abrianna Moore. (Photo by Molly Moser, The Guttenberg Press)

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

A video created by the Clayton County Community Collaboration Council (5C Coalition) that depicts the dangers of underage drinking and driving went viral last week, reaching over 800,000 online viewers from around the country.

“We were absolutely shocked,” said Claudia McCalley, president of the 5C Coalition. “We’ve been fielding calls from all over the U.S.”

The Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, in Marquette, will offer nature programming for youth of all ages this summer. People are welcome to stop any day, however, to explore the wetlands and native plantings and identify local wildlife. (NIT file photo)

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

This summer, delve into nature at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, in Marquette.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Wetlands Centre will offer not only a variety of programs, but serve as a destination for families looking for some daily outdoor fun.

“We want families to come out this summer,” said Wetlands Centre Director Alicia Mullarkey. “We want to be a community resource, to get kids and parents outside.”